Haute couture is the creation of exclusive custom-fitted high-end fashion design. The term haute couture generally refers to a specific type of upper garment common in Europe during the 16th to the 18th century or to the upper portion of a modern dress to distinguish it from the skirt and sleeves. Beginning in the mid-nineteenth century, Paris became the centre of a growing industry that focused on making outfits from high-quality, expensive, and often unusual fabric, sewn with extreme attention to detail and finished by the most experienced and capable of sewers, often using time-consuming, hand-executed techniques. Couture is also commonly used on its own as an abbreviation of haute couture, referring to the same concept in spirit.
Contents
Terminology
Etymology
The English term haute couture was borrowed from French, where it literally means 'high sewing' or 'high dressmaking'. Its first recorded use in English was in 1908, in the Arnold Bennett novel The Old Wives' Tale.
History
The term haute couture is protected by French law and defined by the Paris Chamber of Commerce. The Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode is defined as "the regulating commission that determines which fashion houses are eligible to be true haute couture houses". Their rules state that only "those companies mentioned on the list drawn up each year by a commission domiciled at the Ministry for Industry are entitled to avail themselves" of the label haute couture. The Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne is an association of Parisian couturiers founded in 1868 as an outgrowth of medieval guilds that regulate its members with regard to counterfeiting of styles, dates of openings for collections, number of models presented, relations with press, questions of law and taxes, and promotional activities. Formation of the organisation was brought about by Charles Frederick Worth. An affiliated school was organized in 1930 called L'Ecole de la Chambre Syndicale de la Couture. The school helps bring new designers to help the "couture" houses that are still present today. Since 1975, it has operated within the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode.
In response to the Nazi occupation of Paris, more rigorous criteria for the term haute couture were established in 1945. To earn the right to call itself a couture house and to use the term haute couture in its advertising and any other way, members of the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture must follow specific rules:
design made-to-order for private clients, with one or more fittings;
have a workshop (atelier) in Paris that employs at least fifteen staff members full-time;
have at least 20 full-time technical people, in at least one workshop (atelier); and
present a collection of at least 50 original designs to the public every fashion season (twice, in January and July of each year), of both day and evening garments.
Current use
The term is also used loosely to describe all high-fashion, custom-fitted clothing, whether it is produced in the fashion capitals of London, New York City, Paris, and Milan. In either case, the term can refer to the fashion houses or fashion designers that create exclusive and often trend-setting fashions or to the fashions created. The term haute couture has also taken on further popular meanings referring to non-dressmaking activities, such as production of fine art and music.
History in France
Haute couture can be referenced back as early as the 17th century. Industry and consumption were legally protected through guild statutes that required strict adherence to quality, quantity, etc. Women dressmakers, known as couturières, attained guild privileges in 1675. Their guild statutes made it so these women acquired the rights to make clothing for women and children, while male tailors retained the right to make clothing for men and boys over the age of 8. Within this empire, the couturières' work ranged from simple mending to modes (fashions). They performed darning and alterations, in addition to making fine dresses of luxurious fabric for members of the royal family and aristocracy. Seamstresses were only one part of this process, which also included domestic manufacture, imported products, and work, as well as guilds such as the lacemakers, ribbonmakers, fashion merchants, embroiderers, pin and needle peddlers, etc. Seamstresses did not operate public shops, unlike tailors, but instead relied on word of mouth and connections to procure high-end clientele.
18th century France witnessed a dramatic rise in clothing consumption, and scholars have documented a "clothing revolution" that occurred between 1700 and 1789. This was characterised by the increased size and value of wardrobes across the country, even among the middling and working classes. The fashion industry sprang to life to meet increasing demand.
Rose Bertin, the French fashion designer to Queen Marie Antoinette, can be credited for bringing fashion and haute couture to French culture. Visitors to Paris brought back clothing that was then copied by local dressmakers. Stylish women also ordered dresses in the latest Parisian fashion to serve as models.
As railroads and steamships made European travel easier, it was increasingly common for wealthy women to travel to Paris to shop for clothing and accessories. French fitters and dressmakers were commonly thought to be the best in Europe, and real Parisian garments were considered better than local imitations.
A couturier (French: [ku.ty.ʁje]) is an establishment or person involved in the clothing fashion industry who makes original garments to order for private clients. A couturier may make what is known as haute couture. Such a person usually hires patternmakers and machinists for garment production, and is either employed by exclusive boutiques or is self-employed.
Members of the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture
Official members
Adeline André
Alexandre Vauthier
Alexis Mabille
Bouchra Jarrar
Balmain
Chanel
Dior
Franck Sorbier
Giambattista Valli
Givenchy
Jean Paul Gaultier
Julien Fournié
Maison Margiela
Schiaparelli
Maurizio Galante
Stéphane Rolland
Correspondent members (foreign)
Armani
Elie Saab
Fendi
Iris van Herpen
Ulyana Sergeenko
Valentino
Versace
Viktor & Rolf
Guest members
Aelis
Ashi Studio
Charles de Vilmorin
Christophe Josse
Gaurav Gupta
Georges Hobeika
Imane Ayissi
Juana Martín
Julie de Libran
Peet Dullaert
Rabih Kayrouz
Rahul Mishra
Robert Wun
Ronald van der Kemp
Sara Chraibi
Thom Browne
Yuima Nakazato
Zuhair Murad
Vishali S
Recent guest members have included the fashion houses of Cathy Pill, Gerald Watelet, Nicolas Le Cauchois and Ma Ke (Wuyong). In the 2008/2009 Fall/Winter Haute Couture week, Emanuel Ungaro showed as an Official Member.
Fabrics
Silk
Textiles refer to the fabric or medium being used by designers to create an article of clothing. History of silk originated in Neolithic China within the Yangshao culture (4th millennium BC), where the "Silk worm" was discovered. The Asian elite began using silk in high fashion. As time went on, silk began to be traded leading to the creation of the "Silk Road", which was a boost to China's economy. The value of silk is distinguished by the form of its use, such as it being used as currency. Silk fabric is composed of fibers that are produced by the silkworm mainly found in China. There are various kinds of silks, used by designers in the textile world, such as dupioni, China, brocade, Jacquard, and satin silk. These various kinds of silks are often used to produce certain styles of clothing. For example, Chiffon silk is used to create draping because this silk is a thinner silk than others. This allows for easier movement and flow of the fabric, thus creating an easier process for draping.
Wool
Wool is the textile fiber obtained from animals such as sheep, camels, camelids, goats, or other hairy mammals. Wool was first discovered and used mainly for protection against cold weather. Not all types are acceptable or considered "fine" wool. For instance, fine wool is found only within four breeds of sheep, the other fifteen are not considered to be "fine". Dying wool is a delicate procedure because wool easily absorbs colour, so it is important to be cautious in order not to ruin the wool. Some of the higher-end wools are alpaca, angora wool, mohair, cashmere wool, camel hair, and vicuña wool; each of these wools has a different texture and softness.